A 33-year-old woman and her two children were intentionally swept over Niagara Falls on the evening of October 28, 2024, according to New York State Police. The victims have been identified as Chianti Means and her children, nine-year-old Roman Rossman, and five-month-old Mecca Means.
The State Police confirmed in a press release that the incident was deliberate, though the exact circumstances are still under investigation.
Officers were summoned to Niagara Falls State Park, New York, around 9 p.m. after reports of three individuals plummeting over the safety rail at Luna Island, a small area nestled between the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Despite immediate search efforts by State Park Police and State Police, the victims were not found.
Means, a resident of Niagara Falls, New York, was employed as a domestic violence counselor and held bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University at Buffalo. In the weeks preceding the incident, she shared messages on social media discussing relationship problems and separation from her youngest child’s father.
Luna Falls, featuring a drop of nearly 200 feet, has extensive security measures in place. “It’s not something where they just stumbled in,” police officials said.
Search efforts persist, with police utilizing unmanned aircraft and underwater units to aid in recovery. The strong currents and difficult terrain of Niagara Falls, especially around Luna Island, pose considerable challenges to these operations.
Social media has been flooded with tributes to the family. Niesha Eukeya, for instance, reminded followers that we often do not fully understand the battles others are fighting and expressed her condolences to the deceased woman’s aunt.
Mich Molina, another social media user, noted her struggle to compose a full post or recount memories, stating she felt physically ill and overwhelmed by her emotions. She stressed the depth of love she and her children had for Chianti and her offspring.
Means’ Facebook profile cover photo featured a poignant message about her love for her son, stating that his existence gave her a reason to live.
